Adjusting to the ice

This is really a two part question... Or two related questions.

1. Is there a good way to more rapidly adjust to the ice as a beginner when first getting out on the rink for a lesson after a 24+ hour break? I keep noticing that I am much steadier and able to do way more after being on the ice for 30+ minutes than I am when I first step out there. It is like I start off on the ice as if I'm still in Basic 2 and then have to slowly work my way up from there over the course of 30 minutes or so every time. It is getting in the way of being able to get the most out of my lessons, which are only a half hour long. I feel like I spend most of the time trying to get my body to perform techniques I can usually do easily and consistently after I've been out there a bit, and am disappointed that I am not seeming to really be able to push my boundaries very much in the short time I have with my coach because of it. I know I would do better if I could get on the ice a few minutes before my lesson, but both my lesson schedule (my coach isn't available during public skate sessions) and the freestyle session rink rules (I'm only Basic 4 and can't be on the ice before my lesson without a coach present until Basic 6) prevent it. So I'm wondering if there might be good things I can do off the ice before my lesson to help me suck less when I first get out there.

2. Is ice skating like riding a bicycle, in that you can step away from the ice for an extended time and then be able to return at roughly the same level as before? I will likely need to have surgery soon and my doc has advised me that I will have to take an "extended leave" from skating and ballet during recovery. Apparently that can mean weeks or months depending on what my surgeon recommends. I have only been skating 2 months, and worry that when I come back, I will have start off again from, like, clinging to the wall and then work my way back up to Basic 4 over another 2 months (or more, since I'm probably going to be weaker and more out of shape when I return if I can't exercise much during recovery). In your experience, does it come back quickly after returning to the ice? Or am I going to have to start all over?

wobblepro said:

This is really a two part question... Or two related questions.

1. Is there a good way to more rapidly adjust to the ice as a beginner when first getting out on the rink for a lesson after a 24+ hour break? I keep noticing that I am much steadier and able to do way more after being on the ice for 30+ minutes than I am when I first step out there. It is like I start off on the ice as if I'm still in Basic 2 and then have to slowly work my way up from there over the course of 30 minutes or so every time. It is getting in the way of being able to get the most out of my lessons, which are only a half hour long. I feel like I spend most of the time trying to get my body to perform techniques I can usually do easily and consistently after I've been out there a bit, and am disappointed that I am not seeming to really be able to push my boundaries very much in the short time I have with my coach because of it. I know I would do better if I could get on the ice a few minutes before my lesson, but both my lesson schedule (my coach isn't available during public skate sessions) and the freestyle session rink rules (I'm only Basic 4 and can't be on the ice before my lesson without a coach present until Basic 6) prevent it. So I'm wondering if there might be good things I can do off the ice before my lesson to help me suck less when I first get out there.

Click to expand...

Can you go to a public skate before your lesson? I'm not sure how long it usually takes someone your level to fully warm up. That could be completely normal, but it does sound rather long to me. Maybe that has something to do with whatever you need surgery for?

wobblepro said:

2. Is ice skating like riding a bicycle, in that you can step away from the ice for an extended time and then be able to return at roughly the same level as before? I will likely need to have surgery soon and my doc has advised me that I will have to take an "extended leave" from skating and ballet during recovery. Apparently that can mean weeks or months depending on what my surgeon recommends. I have only been skating 2 months, and worry that when I come back, I will have start off again from, like, clinging to the wall and then work my way back up to Basic 4 over another 2 months (or more, since I'm probably going to be weaker and more out of shape when I return if I can't exercise much during recovery). In your experience, does it come back quickly after returning to the ice? Or am I going to have to start all over?

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Good luck with the surgery and recovery!

It's different for everyone. It's unlikely what you'll be anywhere near clinging to the wall level! You should still be able to do quite a bit.

I don't know how common it is to rapidly regain the same level, but it's definitely possible. I didn't skate for over a decade and took about 20 minutes to get back to a Basic 6-ish level and a total of about 3 hours to exceed my former Freeskate 1-ish level. That's probably not the norm, but it does happen.

As a fellow beginner I can only tell you what has worked for me, since I had the same struggles: exercise and stretch beforehand. It might feel weird at first, exercising in order to exercise, but it works. I'm a casual jogger and used to have a weird work schedule, so I would do my morning jog (~3 miles, ~30 minutes) and then stretch (specifically exercises focusing on legs and hips) before heading to the rink later. I noticed a huuuuge difference between the days when I jogged and stretched versus the days I didn't bother. Not only would I have less of that warm up time on the ice where I had to essentially remember how to skate, but on days when I jogged and stretched every move was easier, and I'd make improvements faster. Maybe that will or won't work for you but it worked for me. As to the second question, I can't answer, being a beginner myself.

I have also found it's hard to skate one's best when first stepping on the ice. Hanyuufan5's suggestion of skating a public session previously could help, if scheduling allows.

I agree with HopeSpringsEternal that warming up off ice can be helpful. I've seen elite skaters jogging around the outside of the ice to warm up before putting their skates on. When I have time (and if possible I make time if I'm going to have a lesson as starting when I get on the ice), I also do some jogging first, but I can't manage more than one full lap. And if it's impossible to jog all the way around because the rink has blocked it off, the zamboni door is open, etc., then I might jog to the far corner, or less, and return the way I came.

Stretching should not be done on cold muscles, so do jog (or do jumping jacks, or full-body swings and leg swings and arm swings, or something else to increase blood circulation) before doing any stretching.

If you're comfortable on the ice already, at least standing/gliding on two feet, you should still be comfortable doing that when you come back from surgery and not need to cling to the boards. But you might be more tentative at one-foot skills that require more balance and technique, until you remind your body what they're supposed to feel like.

Yes, yes, thirding jogging or walking then stretching! It makes a difference at any level.

wobblepro said:

This is really a two part question... Or two related questions.

1. Is there a good way to more rapidly adjust to the ice as a beginner when first getting out on the rink for a lesson after a 24+ hour break? I keep noticing that I am much steadier and able to do way more after being on the ice for 30+ minutes than I am when I first step out there.

Click to expand...

This is pretty common - It might help if you went out to a public session the day before your lesson, maybe for an hour to practice - some of your feel for the ice might carry over the next day.

wobblepro said:

2. Is ice skating like riding a bicycle, in that you can step away from the ice for an extended time and then be able to return at roughly the same level as before?

Click to expand...

In some cases it is - if it's skills that were extremely consistent and 'in' your muscle memory for a while, you could probably pick it up again very easily. If it's something you are still working on, it might take longer to get back, assuming you're a similar level of fitness. Things like comfort on the ice and psychological gains don't tend to go away either.

hanyuufan5 said:

Can you go to a public skate before your lesson? I'm not sure how long it usually takes someone your level to fully warm up. That could be completely normal, but it does sound rather long to me. Maybe that has something to do with whatever you need surgery for?

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Nah, the thing I'm having surgery for thankfully doesn't cause any issues that impact skating. One of my lessons is during the morning freestyle session, so there isn't a public skate right before it unfortunately (and no public skate at all the day before). The other lesson is two hours after public skate ends, so my body has cooled down and is back to being wobbly and stiff when I first get out on the ice again.

hanyuufan5 said:

It's different for everyone. It's unlikely what you'll be anywhere near clinging to the wall level! You should still be able to do quite a bit.

I don't know how common it is to rapidly regain the same level, but it's definitely possible. I didn't skate for over a decade and took about 20 minutes to get back to a Basic 6-ish level and a total of about 3 hours to exceed my former Freeskate 1-ish level. That's probably not the norm, but it does happen.

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That is a huge relief to hear. I expect to be fairly weak in some ways when I return (namely in the core, which will throw off my balance a bit), so I doubt I will catch back up quite as quickly as you did. But having things remain in my muscle memory should help. And if not... it took 6 weeks to pass Basic 3 and start in on Basic 4 this first time, so if I do have to catch back up after surgery, at least I wouldn't be having to relearn years' worth of material.

HopeSpringsEternal said:

As a fellow beginner I can only tell you what has worked for me, since I had the same struggles: exercise and stretch beforehand. It might feel weird at first, exercising in order to exercise, but it works. I'm a casual jogger and used to have a weird work schedule, so I would do my morning jog (~3 miles, ~30 minutes) and then stretch (specifically exercises focusing on legs and hips) before heading to the rink later. I noticed a huuuuge difference between the days when I jogged and stretched versus the days I didn't bother. Not only would I have less of that warm up time on the ice where I had to essentially remember how to skate, but on days when I jogged and stretched every move was easier, and I'd make improvements faster. Maybe that will or won't work for you but it worked for me. As to the second question, I can't answer, being a beginner myself.

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That's a good tip! I have daily stretches and strengthening exercises I already perform, but I usually do them in the evening before bed. Moving them before lessons might be a good solution.

gkelly said:

Stretching should not be done on cold muscles, so do jog (or do jumping jacks, or full-body swings and leg swings and arm swings, or something else to increase blood circulation) before doing any stretching.

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Thankfully I'm pretty flexible from ballet and am not yet using any of that flexibility on the ice (though... when do I get to start doing those weird leaning arabesques?), so I'll probably skip the stretches for now. But some light jogging and swings to get the blood moving sounds like a good idea.

gkelly said:

If you're comfortable on the ice already, at least standing/gliding on two feet, you should still be comfortable doing that when you come back from surgery and not need to cling to the boards. But you might be more tentative at one-foot skills that require more balance and technique, until you remind your body what they're supposed to feel like.

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Definitely very comfortable on 2 feet, and on one if going forward. Sounds like a break won't be as disastrous as I first thought!

jf12 said:

This is pretty common - It might help if you went out to a public session the day before your lesson, maybe for an hour to practice - some of your feel for the ice might carry over the next day.

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I go to public skate 5 days a week, and tend to find this to be true, though perhaps not in the way you mean. Doesn't seem to help me much when I first get on the ice, but after I'm warmed up I notice I usually begin practicing techniques at a slightly higher skill level than where I left off the day before. It's like sleep helps train my brain to send better instructions to my muscles, or something. I'm really enjoying it and have seen it happen almost every day for 2 months now.

wobblepro said:

This is really a two part question... Or two related questions.
2. Is ice skating like riding a bicycle, in that you can step away from the ice for an extended time and then be able to return at roughly the same level as before? I will likely need to have surgery soon and my doc has advised me that I will have to take an "extended leave" from skating and ballet during recovery. Apparently that can mean weeks or months depending on what my surgeon recommends. I have only been skating 2 months, and worry that when I come back, I will have start off again from, like, clinging to the wall and then work my way back up to Basic 4 over another 2 months (or more, since I'm probably going to be weaker and more out of shape when I return if I can't exercise much during recovery). In your experience, does it come back quickly after returning to the ice? Or am I going to have to start all over?

Click to expand...

You don't lose much, but some. In my area, we mostly train on outdoor rinks that are only open from october/november till the end of february. The only indoor rink always closes from may until august. so, basically, all of us recreational skaters face 3 months with no skating at all every year. It's annoying, but manageable. I was getting along well with my backwards power pulls in april, I guess I'll have them back to that level in two weeks in november, once we actually have reliable ice-time again with the outdoor rinks. I skated like 3 times in public skates between leaving training at age 8 and picking it back up at 27, and I was back on my forwards crossovers after 4 hours on the ice. It's not picking up exactly where you left, but once you have learned the balance you need on your skates, you can get it back fast even after a longer pause. I guarantee you that no clinging to the wall will be necessary!

You could do warm-up exercises on the ice as well: one and two foot sculling forwards and backwards, cross-rolls, swing-rolls, etc.

Lots of good advice here. I used to feel like this a lot and now my adjustment period is only a few minutes. The longer you skate, the quicker you adjust. Find a warm-up routine that works for you and you will be fine. Like everything in skating, it requires time and patience.

It really gives you way more empathy for the competing skaters!!! Imagine having to go out there and do triple jumps after a lousy small warmup and then having to wait an hour until your turn!??? Those poor skaters. It must be a night mare. It always seems like they are jump roping before hand. Maybe that's an idea too.

wobblepro said:

This is really a two part question... Or two related questions.

1. Is there a good way to more rapidly adjust to the ice as a beginner when first getting out on the rink for a lesson after a 24+ hour break? I keep noticing that I am much steadier and able to do way more after being on the ice for 30+ minutes than I am when I first step out there.

Click to expand...

This is very common for a new skater. 30 minutes also sounds completely normal in my own experience and among my fellow beginners. I have been skating for 8 months now, and I no longer have this adjustment period. In hindsight, I don't know when it completely went away but at some point you will become comfortable stepping onto that ice. However, all skaters have to 'warm up' on the ice for about 10 minutes before skating. This 'warm up' not only refers to warming up your muscles to prevent injury (you should be warming up off ice beforehand) but also refers to warming up to your edges and getting a feel of your edges before moving on to more difficult elements. I didn't realise the purpose of such a warm up until skating for a while and it was explained to me In a private lesson, the first part of the lesson always consists of warm up. Depending on which level you are, it might consist of forward stroking around the rink, swizzles, pumps, crossovers while stroking, slalom, inside and outside edges, cross rolls, etc.

As to your second question, I don't have a lot of insight myself and would be interested as to what others have to say. I have taken two and a half weeks off before and when I came back, it only took one session to get my balance back (I could still do all the elements but felt quite unbalanced). Now that I'm currently in a moon boot for 8 weeks, I am curious whether I will be able to pick up where I left off.

Good luck! I hope all goes well

Schpanky said:

It really gives you way more empathy for the competing skaters!!! Imagine having to go out there and do triple jumps after a lousy small warmup and then having to wait an hour until your turn!??? Those poor skaters. It must be a night mare. It always seems like they are jump roping before hand. Maybe that's an idea too.

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We off ice warm up for a good amount of time backstage before competing.

Just wanted to report back real quick - I followed the excellent advice ya'll provided, and it has definitely helped.

And Ange, the progression you mention for on-ice warm ups is almost exactly what my coach has me do, and I've started using it when practicing on my own because it is working great.